Adjustable stairway for suspended railway-cars.



'Norsumss. PATENTED JAN, 15, 1907.

D. M. PFAUTZ. v

ADJUSTABLE STAIRWAY FOR SUSPENDED RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY-19. 1906.

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'UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

DANIEL M. PFAUTZ, OF GERMAIQ'IOVVDI, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM H. TIGERMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN- SYLVANIA.

ADJUSTABLE STAIRWAY FO R SUSPENDED RAILWAY-CARS,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 1907.

Application filed May 19, 1906 Serial No, 317,689.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, DANIEL M. PFAUTZ, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Ger- --to be suspended from elevated-railway structures, and in such connection it relates to an adjustable stairway adapted. to form a means of exit for passengers from suspended or ele-.

vated cars and as a means of entrance to said cars.

The principal objects of my present invention are, first, to provide a simple and eiii cient adjustable stairway for suspended or elevated railway-cars; second, to provide the platform of a car with a stairway, one

end of which may be lowered to connect the car with a street or roadway and to form not only a means of exit, but also of access to the car; third, to providethe adjustable stair way and car with a mechanism adapted to raise and lower the free ends thereof, and, fourth, to provide the raising and lowering mechanism witha locking device adapted to hold the stairway in a raised or inoperative position parallel to the bottom of the car and to permit of the instant lowering of the stair way in case ofaccident or otherwise.

The nature and scope of my present invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which Figure 1 isa sectional view of the upper portion of an elevated structure, illustrating in side elevation a car and in full and dotted lines the operative and inoperative positions of a stairway hinged to said car, embodying main features of my present invention. Fig. 2 illustrates in end elevation a portion of the elevated structure and the car and the stairway in its lowered or operative position. Fig. 3 is adetail view, enlarged, illustrating in end elevation the mechanism for raisingand lowering'the same. Fig. 4 illustrates, partly in side elevation and-partly in section, n i m for operating the stairwa side clevationahview of a locking device for the mechanism for raising and lowering the stairway. 4

Referring to the drawings, a, and a represent columns suitablyconnected to and supported by pedestals alocated back of the curb-line and adjacent to the sidewalks a of a street or roadway a To a pair of oppo- 'sitely-arranged columns a and a is suitably idly connected with the cross-girder a by brackets a? and a and a similar pair of brackets a, and a connect the cross-girder 07 with the supporting-columns a and a. To the lower inner flanges-b and b of the These longii longitudinal girders b and. b are'secured rails b and bi Upon these rails are adapted to travel the wheels d and d of a truck :1. The truck d supports a car 01, provided with rear and front platforms (2 and d and dashboards (1 and (i In order to permit. passengers to enter or leave the car (i, suspended from the elevated structure outside of the stations designated for this purpose, and especially to afford a ready means to leave the car in case of accident, the same is provided with aniovable stairway g, hinged at the point 9 to thepl-atform (1 of the car (1.. In the normal position of the stairway g the same occupies the posi+ tion indicated in full lines in Fig. 1, parallel to the bottom of the car (1, and occupying this position when not in use does not in any manner interfere with the proper operation of the free end of the stairway g. To the drum 9 is secured a sprocket-wheel 9 which by-means of a sprocket-chain g is connected with a sprocket-wheel g mounted on a shaft g The stairway is held in a raised or inoperative position by a ratchet-wheel se cured to the sprocket-wheel g and by bringing the pawl 9 out of engagement with the sprocket-wheel g by means of the crank-arm,

. g ,which movement of the sprocket-wheel g by the chain g is transmitted to the drum g upon which the cord or chain g iswound.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what'I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters'Patent, is-

1. In an elevated-railway system, in combination with a car, a':platform arranged at each end of said car and extending laterally beyond the body thereof, a stairway pivoted.

at one end to one of said platforms and restmg in an inoperativeposition parallel to the body of said car and between said platforms,

and means for connecting the free end of said stairway with the body,of said car and'for raising and lowerin the same.

'2. In an elevate railway system, incombination with a car, a platform arranged at each end of said car and extending laterally beyond the body thereof, a-stairway pivoted at one end to one'of said platforms and rest-- ing in an inoperative position parallel. to the body and between the platforms of said car, a bail secured to the free end of said stairway, a drum secured to said car, means connecting said bail with said drum, and means for actuvatingsa'id drum.

3. In an elevated-railway system, in combination with a car, a platform arranged at each end of said car and extending laterally beyond the body thereof, a stairway pivoted atone end to one of said platforms and rest- ;ing in .an' inoperative position parallel to the body and between the platforms of said car,

a bailsecured to said stairway, windin means for raising and lowering the free en of said stairway securedto said car, means for operating said winding means, and locking means for the operating; means of said stairway. I

In testimony whereof I'havehereunto set my signature, in the presence of'two: subscribing witnesses,=this 18th day of May, ,A, D. 1906.

p i p DAN IEL M. PFAU'EZ. 'Witnesses:

' JywAL'rnn DOUGLASS,

"TnoMAs M. SMITH. 

